InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Consciousness ❯ Home ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Home
“Kagome! Let’s go!” Inuyasha bellowed. He was standing at the edge of the village stamping his feet. Kagome was talking to Kagura and Sango, while holding Shippo in her arms. “Hurry up, Wench!”

“I gotta go! I’ll see you later!” Kagome handed Shippo off to Sango and hurried after the impatient hanyou.

“What? The sun is just barely up!”

“I told you we’d be gone at sun-up,” he reached out and pulled her onto his back, making a quick the trip to the well. At the edge of the well, he slid her off his back and onto the edge.

“I’ll see you on the other side!” She smiled and slid into the blue time slip.

Inuyasha lifted his head, scenting the air. ‘What do you want?”

“I am simply observing; don’t let me keep you,’ Sesshomaru replied.

“Whatever,” he said as he slipped into the time warp.

*****

Sesshomaru stood at the edge of the clearing, staring at the well, and contemplating something he had heard years ago. A prophecy came slowly drifting through his memories.

In the future is born a miko child, a very special child, a human child who will not see the difference between the races. She will be born strong and independent. She will be free from hate and darkness. She will travel great distances to help our people.

There was more, but he couldn’t remember it at the moment. Once again, he took it as a sign that he did not pay close enough attention as a child.

“Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru! Are we traveling today?” Rin came running up next to him, looking at the well at which her guardian was staring. She looked up at him, and he looked far away; she smiled.

He reached out and gently touched her hair, “Yes Rin, we travel today.”

*****

Inuyasha came out of the Well House hot on Kagome’s heels. He froze, inhaling deeply, “Kagome,” he growled low.

She spun around to see him rigid and eyes searching intently. She quickly slipped up next to him. “Inuyasha?” she queried, ‘What is it?’ She was so used to being carefree in her time.

“Must be his damn stench still in my nose,” he wrinkled his nose and inhaled again, but he couldn’t scent it again. However, he was certain he’d smelled his bastard half-brother again, and it wasn’t the first time.

“Who?” Kagome asked curiously.

“Sesshomaru was at the well”

‘Why? What did he want?”

‘He claimed he was just curious; I wonder if there is more going on than he is willing to tell right now,’ Inuyasha shook his head and pulled Kagome toward the house. “I’m hungry.”

“Yeah, what else is new? I’ll start ramen when we get inside,” She laughed and headed into the house

“Mama! Mama! I’m home!” she hollered as she came into the sliding door.

Dropping her pack by the door, she headed into the kitchen to start water for Inuyasha’s preferred food. She set out four packs of ramen and started a large pot of water boiling.

‘Kagome, Inuyasha! I am so glad to see you home! You have been gone for so long!” Mya cried. Kagome’s mother moved around the table to grab her daughter in a hug. “I was starting to worry!”

Inuyasha grimaced, “Feh, like I’d let anything happen to her!” He growled.

Smiling, Mya turned around and headed toward Inuyasha, placing a hand on his shoulder; she leaned up and gave him a light brush on the cheek. “I’m glad you’re safe, too, dear.”

Waving her hand at Kagome and Inuyasha, she was just starting to take in their appearances. “You had better start talking! Something has happened.” She moved over Kagome and tucked the silver streak behind her ear, lightly tracing the mark on Kagome’s face.

Before he could stop it, a snarl welled up inside him and spilled out. Inuyasha blushed deep red as Kagome and Mya turned to look at him.

“YOU DID NOT JUST SNARL AT MY MOTHER!” Kagome growled back at him.

“Feh,” he mumbled, blushing deeply.

“Inuyasha?” Mya questioned.

“We don’t know what happened,” he grumbled as he threw himself down in the chair, waiting for Kagome to finish his ramen;, he could smell it. It was ready, and he was hungry.

Kagome, poured his ramen into a large bowl and put some into a smaller one for herself. Walking over to the table, she set down both bowls as her mother grabbed glasses and poured milk in them for both of the kids.

“Mom, sit down please, and we will tell you what we know,” Kagome said as she sat down at the table. As Inuyasha inhaled his ramen, Kagome detailed out what she could remember of the last battle, of their time unconscious, and of their visits with Midoriko. She then mentioned Sesshomaru’s apparent interest in all of it.

Kagome’s mom, sat patiently waiting for her to finish her explanations. When she had finished, she looked at the two. “So, the mixed features are from Midoriko?”

“That’s our best guess,” Inuyasha said as he joined the conversation n. “She alluded to a bonding for Kagome’s protection; we don’t know what all that entails, but according to Midoriko, it will make it easier for me to find her if we become separated and make it easier for me to sense if or when she is in danger.”

‘Well, that is a good thing; I wonder though,” Mya drifted off into thought. There was very little that her daughter had ever shared with her surprised her.

Kagome stared at her mom; she could not remember a time when her mother seemed at all daunted by the time traveling and all their adventures in the past. Come to think of it, her mother appeared to have just taken it in stride and never really seemed overly surprised by it.

“Mom?” she asked hesitantly.

“Hmmm, Oh honey, I forgot; this came for you,” she jumped up and grabbed an envelope for Kagome and handed it to her. “A red haired gentleman brought it here a couple of days ago and asked that I give it to you when you returned.”

“What? Returned? Kagome, did you tell anyone?” Inuyasha demanded.

“What? No, of course not. Mom? Did he say anything else?”

“No, just that, but come to think of it, he did seem to know you were gone,” Mya answered. “I really didn’t think about it at the time, but he was a very nice man.”

Inuyasha reached out and grabbed the envelope; bringing it up to his nose, he inhaled deeply. Something faint tickled his nose, a very faint scent he should know. The overpowering smell of ink prevented him from isolating the scent.

Kagome reached out, pulled the envelope back, and opened it. Inside were braided strands of hair: black, silver, and red hair was braided into a thin long string; beads were in the bottom of the envelope with one piece of paper.

The paper read simply: For the jewel. Wear it close. Leave in the morning.

The handwriting was fine, but it was older in style than what was seen in the present. Kagome looked at it, and then handed it to Inuyasha.

“What the hell! Who in this era knows about the jewel?” Inuyasha demanded.

‘I don’t know! I haven’t told anyone!”

Mya looked at the two, knowing that an all out argument was brewing. Striving to head it off, she brought up the one thing that her daughter couldn’t refuse.

“Uh Kagome, would you like me to start a bath for you?”

“That would be great! Inuyasha could use one when I am done too!” Kagome jumped up and headed up the stairs.

“WHAT!” Inuyasha was bellowing again. Unfortunately, his raised voice had brought his greatest worshipper to him.

“INUYASHA!” Souta exclaimed, running into the kitchen

*****

While Inuyasha was busy with Souta, Kagome and her mom went upstairs to ready the bath. While Kagome was bathing, Mya set out clothes for Kagome and started laying out items for her to pack for her trip back. She knew her daughter had to go back. She had always known. She also knew that the time would come when her daughter would not come back from the past.

“Mom, you’re awfully quiet this morning,” Kagome noted as she walked into her room. Closing the door behind her, she dropped the towel and started putting on the clothes her mom had laid out for her. Even at 19 years old, she still enjoyed having her mother do little things for her. She had been gone so much in the last four years she just relished the time that she had with her mom.

‘Kagome, you know that I love you. I also have faith in you. Please, always follow your heart. If the time comes that you have to make a difficult decision, please, remember, I only want your happiness.’

“Mom?”

‘Just promise?”

“Ok,” Kagome looked at her mom, and once again, she was amazed. There were times that she was almost frightened by how quickly her mother had come to terms with her life. Sometimes it almost seemed that her mother knew things that they had yet to realize.

Mya turned and looked at her daughter. She was so much like a woman; in her mind though, she still saw her exuberant little girl. Kagome stood there in snug red knit pants, with a long silver shirt, belted at the waist. She handed Kagome a pair of soft leather boots. “Here, I thought these might be more comfortable for long travel. I bought you some more clothes that are light, stretchy, and easy to travel in,” she smiled at Kagome.

“Thanks, Mom! These are really comfortable!” Kagome squatted down and rose again; the pants moved and stretched with her while the boots were soft and supple, giving easily with her ankles and legs as she squatted and rose.

‘Well, the weather is changing; we can’t have you running around in dresses and skirts!” her mom quipped as she headed out of the room with an arm load of clothing.

Kagome grabbed a hair tie as she headed down the stairs, pulling her hair up as she entered the kitchen. “Inuyasha, the bath is free; if you toss your clothes out the door, I’ll wash them while you bathe.”

Grumbling, he stood up and headed upstairs. At the top of the stairs, Mya stopped him and handed him a pair of soft white hakamas and a soft white cotton shirt. “Here, you can wear these while your clothes are being washed.”

“Thanks,” he said as he disappeared into the bathroom. Shortly, the door whipped open a crack and clothes were tossed on the floor.

Kagome slipped passed the door picked up the clothes and headed back down the stairs toward the laundry. Once his clothes were in the wash, she sat down at the kitchen table with the contents of the envelope. She pulled the jewel out from under her shirt and removed it from her neck. She was sitting there staring at it when Inuyasha walked in from his bath.

“What ya doing, wench?” he asked as he strolled over and dropped in the chair next to Kagome.

“Inuyasha, break this,” she handed him the chain that held the Shikon No Tama.

‘What?”

“Just break it,” she sighed.

He pulled the chain in opposing directions, and it snapped easily. “Silly wench, you could have broken that yourself.” He handed her the broken chain.

“Break this,” she handed him the strands of hair.

“What?”

“Inuyasha, just please, try.”

He shrugged and pulled the strands of hair in opposing directions. They stretched a little, but they did not break. He started to pull again as Kagome laid a hand on his arm. He looked up and saw a thoughtful look on her face. “Kagome?”

She held out her hand, and he laid the hair back in her hand; she removed the rest of the broken chain from the jewel and started weaving the hair in a spider web fashion around the jewel. She looped the hair through several of the beads after she had carefully secured the jewel. Pulling her pony tail up and over her shoulder, she turned her back to Inuyasha. “Please tie this,” she said handing the jewel to Inuyasha.

He sighed and reached out, tying the jewel around Kagome’s neck. He knew there was no point in arguing with her; she wasn’t even really there. She seemed to be lost in thought. When he was done, she sat there staring at the paper in front of her.

He got up and headed outside, heading for his tree. Just as he was about to jump into the tree, he caught the scent of something familiar.

*****

Shifting through the shadows that the bright sunlight created, a figure was moving to the edge of the shrine. He knew that the miko had tied the jewel with the strands of hair he had sent. His nephew had eagerly jumped at the opportunity to go to the shrine, any excuse to be there. He would do it for any excuse to get closer and to be on the grounds. Over the years, his nephew had been the eager messenger to the shrine.

He sighed for he could see Inuyasha twitching; he knew that his scent was only a passing fancy on the wind. He knew that Inuyasha wouldn’t let it rest. He sighed again, moving swiftly away from the shrine.

*****

Inuyasha sniffed the air again; it was gone. For the briefest moment, he knew that scent that drifted by him. It was faint and vaguely familiar, but it was gone before he could identify it. It was old, very old.

He leapt into the tree. Settling down, he knew that Kagome wasn’t going to leave tonight. That note, thought, was familiar to him as well. The new moon would be tonight. He knew that by the waning of his ability to smell, which was already diminished to a fraction of what he was used to having.

He sat there for several hours, dwelling on what had happened in the past two weeks. So many things had come and gone. Kikyo was gone at his bastard brother’s hand. He knew that he would have protected Kagome in the same way had he been conscious. His shock at the betrayal of Kikyou was apparent; he knew that she was not happy with any part of the situation. His loyalty to Kagome seemed to have pushed her over the edge. He couldn’t help it; he was drawn to protect Kagome as he had always been. From the beginning, he felt the strong need to protect her, to care for her.

*****

Kagome sat in the kitchen, her mind wandering over the past four years to things beyond that and things that she had never been able to piece together, hints of the past. Staring at the jewel, she thought about things she had long put away on a shelf in her mind.

Her family was one of those important things on that shelf in her mind, her mother, her father, and Jii-chan. She remembered her grandfather, when she was little, talking in hushed tones to his son. They were talking about her, arguing softly, her mother interrupting, only to reassure her father that she would be ok.

She never really knew what those late night talks were about. She just knew that when they were done one of them would come into her room and sit by her bed, watching her, watching over her as she slept. Words haunted her mind. “My darling, you are destined for great things; you have a prophecy to fulfill,” her grandfather’s voice. “My precious little girl, my hope for you is strong because I know you will do your duty; honor is so important to this family. My hope is that you will always be safe.” Her father’s voice had said. “My beautiful girl, I will stand by your side in all that is to come, and I will support your decisions as I know they will not be easy. I will hold your hand until you venture out on your own, and I will let you go to your destiny,” her mother’s voice has ended.

She knew her mother and grandfather knew things that they had yet to share with her. She suspected they would not share them with her.

Her mind was pulling parts of her history to the fore of her mind; coming and going, she could see images of her father, images of her mother, the day her brother was born, Jii-chan, family and friends coming and going, her father’s funeral, briefest flashes of strange friends of her parents, and people that she had only ever fleetingly glimpsed.

“Kagome, honey? Would you like to go shopping before you go back?” Mya stood behind her daughter, placing her hands on her shoulders. She could tell her daughter was lost in the past; the look on her face was common when she was thinking about her father.

‘Sure, mom,” she sighed and stood up; she slipped out the back door to tell Inuyasha that they were going shopping.

Mya went to change over the laundry, knowing that her daughter would let her know when she was ready to go.

*****

“Inuyasha, Mom and I are going shopping for supplies. Do you want to go?”

“Sure.” He dropped out of the tree in front of her. She could tell by his easy acquiesce that he was already dwelling on the new moon.

They headed into the house where Kagome grabbed a ball cap and dropped it on his head, covering his ears.

“MOM! We’re ready!”

They headed out to stock up on supplies. Kagome and Inuyasha mainly picked out ramen and pocky. They knew not to go back without pocky for Shippo. Picking out assorted flavors of each, they both loaded the cart with favored food. Dried potatoes, dried fruits, snackbars, crackers, dried vegetables were all tossed in. Kagome picked up bullion cubes and various spices that she knew they liked for soups when hunting was slim.

Mya smiled as they argued over various flavors of ramen, dried soup mixes, stew helpers, and spices. Inuyasha rolled his lip up as Kagome picked up spices that smelled too strong or things he had learned from experience were hot. Kagome laughing as his nose wrinkled up when she would pick something up for him to smell.

They headed to the drug store next where Kagome picked up various items that she would need: shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, and various feminine products that Inuyasha still failed to comprehend, thankfully. Inuyasha was grateful that Kagome always picked out soaps that had little or no scent. Standing in the drug store, he noticed that several similar items had an awful stench coming from them. Kagome bought first aide supplies to replenish her ever dwindling first aide kit.

They arrived home just as the sun was starting its descent into the West. Mya watched Inuyasha closely as his hair faded to black with the on-coming darkness. His whole being seemed to fade with it.

“I’ll fix dinner. How does oden sound?”

“That would be great, Mom! We’ll pack my bag while dinner is cooking.”

Kagome started off to the living room with Inuyasha in tow. They sat quietly packing in her clothes, various foods, and personal items. Kagome realized that not everything from this trip was going to fit. She got up and went to search out the heavy canvas bag that she used occasionally to bring things back to the Feudal Era.

As she disappeared, Inuyasha headed into the kitchen.

‘Mya, what do you know? You’re keeping something from Kagome,” Inuyasha stated as he picked up a knife and began chopping vegetables.

“Inuyasha, there are things at work here greater than I,” Mya started, “things I can’t begin to explain, so I won’t even try. I have always known that Kagome was intended to do great things. I have learned to let go and let her live the life that the Fates have set out for her.”

Inuyasha sighed, “You have never questioned her for her safety or me. Why?”

‘Let’s just say I have had good friends throughout this, friends who have supported me and have helped me understand what it means to have such a special child.”

“Friends? Do they know about the jewel and her time travel?”

‘Inuyasha, let me explain what I can of this. I know my daughter, and I know that she is meant for a bigger purpose. I understand that I have to let her go. When the time comes, please, help her, stay by her side, and help her to let go. She will have to make difficult decisions. Please know the only decision I want her to make is what makes her happy, not what she thinks I may or may not want.”

Mya turned back to making the oden as Kagome came into the kitchen. “That smells great, Mom!”

Inuyasha turned and watched her as she sat down at the table. She had hauled both bags to the back door. He looked down at the bags, bulging with supplies. ‘Kagome, let’s sleep here tonight; we’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

She smiled at him, “Thanks. Your clothes are laid out on my bed upstairs, if you want to change back.’

He just nodded at her as he headed up the stairs toward the clean clothes. He slipped into Kagome’s room and shut the door behind him. Changing quickly, he stood in the room looking out the window. Kagome’s room always made him feel calm, even on the nights of the new moon. Outside, he could see shadows moving at the edge of the shrine grounds. He knew that tonight there was little he could do. Instead, he headed downstairs to stay close to Kagome for the night.

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Thanks shadowwolf_02!

Once more:
I don’t own Inuyasha, its story line or its characters.
That sole privilege belongs to Rumiko Takahashi
I’ll let you know which characters I do own as we go.